Stoops was right in the middle of one of the greatest finishes in the history of the Valero Alamo Bowl, working as the defensive coordinator at Kansas State.

Brees and unranked Purdue shocked fourth-ranked Kansas State 37-34 that night in 1998, hitting a TD pass in the final minute to win it.

In retrospect, it is no shame to fall victim to a quarterback who has gone on to become a NFL icon, the emotional leader of the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

Nonetheless, Stoops is still feeling the sting of that loss in the dome a dozen years ago.

At the same time, it also gives him some hope as unranked Arizona prepares to meet favored and BCS No. 14 Oklahoma State on Dec. 29.

Stoops managed a smile on Thursday as he recalled his previous trip to San Antonio.

“I just remember the week leading up to the game was about as cold as it's ever been in San Antonio,” he said at a news conference. “It was so cold, we had to prepare in the Alamodome because you just couldn't go outside.”

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Stoops also felt a shiver in remembering Brees, then a precocious Purdue sophomore out of Austin Westlake.

“I remember Drew and his four- and five-wide receiver sets,” Stoops said. “We installed a bunch of different packages, four, five and six (defensive back) packages. We tried to create pressure a bunch of different ways.”

Trailing by 10 midway through the fourth quarter, Michael Bishop-led Kansas State rallied to take a 34-30 lead inside two minutes.

But Brees calmly led a long drive that ended with the winning TD, a 24-yard pass to Isaac Jones with 30 seconds left.

“We blocked some kicks, and that kept us in it,” Stoops said. “And then we got the lead at the end. Then Drew (comes) down and hits a little fade on us. We call it a ‘Smash Seven,' whatever. They stuck it in there. It was a great game, a great finish.”

It wasn't a great finish this year for Stoops' Wildcats, who will report to San Antonio in a few weeks on a four-game losing streak.

Once considered a Pac-10 title contender, the Wildcats (7-5) will be in a fight just to save face.

Then again, just as Brees and Purdue were given little chance in San Antonio 12 years ago, Stoops knows from personal experience that anything can happen.

Arizona, incidentally, features a quarterback from Westlake in junior Nick Foles, who broke Brees' high school passing records for yardage and touchdowns.

“They're very similar in their demeanor,” Stoops said. “Nick's a little bigger. He does it a little different way. But they're both very effective. They both throw the ball well. They're both very accurate, time-oriented quarterbacks.”

Considering the way the Alamo Bowl turned out in Stoops' only other appearance, maybe the gods will smile on him this time.

Arizona could use some good fortune after losses to Stanford, Southern California, Oregon and Arizona State ruined what was shaping up to be a great year.

“I want to start a new season,” Stoops said. “I want to start the 2011 season right now.”